


Rest Stop

by TuesdayWriter



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Post-Episode: s03e16 The Southern Raiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25591576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuesdayWriter/pseuds/TuesdayWriter
Summary: Post Southern Raiders:Katara and Zuko have stopped traveling for the night to give Appa a rest. Katara reflects on her decisions and Zuko provides support.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 28
Collections: Zutara Week 2020





	Rest Stop

They were heading back from their encounter with Yon Rha and needed to stop. Appa was tired and there was no rush. Either they would arrive on Ember Island in the early morning with a tired Appa or they would arrive in the early afternoon with everyone rested. They were on the top of a line of mountain ranges. Appa had fallen asleep almost right when he landed. Zuko offered to set up camp and Katara went to the edge of the cliff they were currently occupying.

She wasn’t sure how long she stared into the horizon. Something about the sea hitting the sky while the nearly full moon hung low in the sky. She wasn’t sure how long she had sat there or when her tears started falling but vision had started to blur because of the water filling her eyes. She thought she was far enough away so he wouldn’t have heard her. Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he had just come to check if she was okay. He sat down next to her. A respectful distance away, but enough so she could feel his warmth radiating off him. It wasn’t a cold night but it was a comforting feeling none the less. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. It was actually one of the things she liked about him. Everyone else was always so noisy. Someone always had to be talking. No one else could be satisfied with just being quiet.

She knew if her brother or Aang were here they would be endlessly telling her that she did the right thing and Toph would be telling her she should have at least hurt him a little or something like that. Zuko didn’t need to give her any affirmations. He understood that the decision to enact revenge or not on Yon Rha was totally up to her and that his opinion didn’t matter. She figured her brother and Aang might have been worried that Zuko would pressure her towards revenge, but she knew better. This trip wasn’t about giving her revenge, it was about giving her a choice. Allowing her to choose what to do with the man that killed her mother. Deciding his fate Which was why he didn’t have to say anything now. Which is why she knew if she asked him what he thought about what she had done, his answer would be the same, regardless of Yon Rha. 

She wasn’t ready to speak yet. Worried if she opened her mouth she would just start sobbing and never stop. So, she scooted closer to him and just leaned against him. He initially tensed at her actions but relaxed after a couple seconds. Tears were still dripping from her eyes and she knew they were soaking his sleeve. She didn’t care to wipe them away, knowing more would come and he didn’t seem to mind a wet shirt sleeve. 

Sometime later, Katara puller herself away from Zuko. She wiped the tears off her face and started laughing. How absurd was this situation? 

“Two days ago, if anyone told me I’d be sitting, crying on your shoulder after confronting the man who’d killed my mother; I would have told them they were crazy.”

“So would I.”

Why did he sound so sad when he said it? Katara snuck a glance at Zuko out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at the horizon, jaw clenched, brows slightly furrowed. He almost looked hurt. She knew she had been harsh on him. While she had good reasons not to trust him completely, she didn’t have to be so mean to him.  
“Thank you, by the way, for pushing me out of the way of those rocks back at the Western Air Temple. I definitely would have been injured if not for you.”

The corner of Zuko’s mouth lifted a bit. She wondered if it was because he was genuinely happy that she had apologized to him or because he knew what she was trying to do.

“Took you long enough but you’re welcome. I know I haven’t been the best person in the past, but I promise, from now on, I will never turn my back on people who need me… even if they happen to be stubborn waterbenders.”

Zuko making the same declaration that she had when she was the Painted Lady really helped open her eyes. He wasn’t the same boy who showed up in her village demanding they hand over the Avatar. He had changed so much. He was practically a whole new person. She couldn’t take all her anger at the failed invasion out on him anymore. She couldn’t take the anger of the loss of her mother out on him anymore. She couldn’t even be mad at him about Ba Sing Se anymore. When she thought of the enemy, it was no longer his face she saw. But she wasn’t about to tell him all that. 

“Hey! I am not stubborn. And even if I was injured, I could have healed myself, so your help was still unnecessary. I’ll take my apology back.”

Zuko stood up and offered his hand to Katara. She took it and let him pull her to standing. She suddenly felt nervous. Were they standing really close together? Did he have to look at her with that stupid lopsided grin while they were standing this close together?

“Sorry Katara, that apology was given to me and I’m not giving it back. But, I’ll give you another one in return. I’m sorry…”

She placed her fingers on his lips to silence him.

“It’s okay, Zuko. You’ve already said it a million times. I accept.”

She had leaned forward ever so slightly; her body was working faster than her brain. Then a flashing light in her periphery grabbed her attention and she turned away from him. 

All the sudden the sky was filled with dozens of meteors passing over them. Some sped by so fast she could barely see them and some seemed to linger just for her enjoyment. 

“I’ve never seen so many before!”

“We call this Dragon Spirit. This meteor shower happens near the end of summer every season. Most Fire Nation cities hold large festivals for the Dragon Spirit shower. It was always my favorite time of the year. I haven’t been to one since I was banished.”

“Next year. Next year, let’s attend the Dragon Spirit Festival!”

“It’s a date. But for now, we should get some sleep.” 

The meteors had almost all gone but Katara walked backwards towards the camp so she could take in the last few stragglers. Also, to hide her blush from Zuko. Who she just made a date with. Like an actual date. It was a year away, but still. A date is a date.

**Author's Note:**

> We're more than half-way through Zutara Week 2020! Hope you've all been enjoying it! I know I have!


End file.
